Other Proposed Uses

The name of this herb literally means "Black-haired Mr. He," in reference to
an ancient story of a Mr. He who restored his vitality, sexual potency, and
youthful appearance by taking the herb now named after him. He shou wu is widely
used in China for the traditional purpose of restoring black hair and other
signs of youth.

Traditional Chinese herbal medicine
ordinarily recommends the use of herbs in complex formulas, but He shou wu is also often taken as
a single herb. He shou
wu is often called fo ti; pure unprocessed root is named white fo ti, while herb
boiled in black-bean liquid according to a traditional process is called red fo
ti. The two forms are said to have somewhat different properties.

He shou wu is reputed to
strengthen immunity
; however, one constituent of the herb, emodin, has shown some promise as an immune system suppressant!
7

Finally, He shou wu has a traditional reputation as a mild
laxative
. In support of this, it has been pointed out that emodin belongs to a family of chemicals called anthraquinones; other members of this family act as laxatives. However, animal research has failed to find any evidence that emodin itself has a laxative effect.
8

Dosage

A typical dose of He shou wu is 3 g of the raw herb 3 times daily, or
according to the label for processed extracts. For most purposes, the processed
or "red" fo ti is said to be superior. However, the raw herb is said to be
more effective for constipation.

Safety Issues

Detailed modern safety studies have not been performed on this herb.
Immediate side effects are infrequent, primarily limited to mild diarrhea and
the rare allergic reaction. Safety for young children, pregnant or nursing
women, or those with severe kidney or liver disease has not been established.

Case reports relate use of a popular He shou wu product to liver inflammation.
9,10
However, it is not clear whether He shou wu herb itself was responsible;
Asian herbal preparations
of this type have frequently been found to contain unlisted toxic ingredients, either due to poor quality control, or deliberate adulteration.
11-14

Revision Information

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.

National Toxicology Program.
NTP technical report on the toxicology and carcinogenesis studies of emodin.
Research Triangle Park, NC: National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services; June 2001. NIH publication 01-3952.